2016 Long Meadow Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2016
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$50.00USD

This is a nice solid Napa Cabernet that often shows up on restaurant lists.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, coffee, slight chocolate and a slight herbal note.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, lots of cassis, some chocolate and just a hint of spice.  Nice finish.  This drinks nicely on its own and will work great with a steak or burger.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

2019 Highlands Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
91
Grade: 
A-

A nice, solid Napa Cabernet.  At 15.6%, this is not shy although the alcohol is not noticeable.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, cedar and spice.  Medium tannins.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this drinks smooth and easy.  Cassis notes with a touch of cedar.  Nice finish.  Drinking well now and should continue for the next five to eight years.  A nice wine with a steak or burger.  

Cuvaison 2019 Brut Rosé, Méthode Champenoise

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
92
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$60.00USD

Cuvaison is best known for their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir but in 2012 they launched a sparkling program. Comprised of mainly Pinot Noir and 35% Chardonnay, this brut was made in the traditional Champagne method. Using Pinot Dijon clone 115 planted in 1998, winemaker Steve Rogstad says these 25-year-old vines bring a “precocious beauty” to the wine, and I have to agree. This is a delicate wine with minimal sweetness, using the grace of the Pinot and the acidity and light salinity of the Chardonnay to make a very balanced, almost shy wine.

Cuvaison 2020 Chardonnay Hedon

Vintage: 
2020
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$50.00USD

Small lot Chardonnay. Not many people take the time to create small batches of wine, but Cuvaison does and it opens the door into wines that are specially cared for and you can taste that. This Chardonnay is a shy, subtle Chardonnay, and even though winemaker Steve Rogstag says it’s an “iconic California style,” it’s really more a respectful nod to Burgundy. Yes, this is 100% Chardonnay, aged in both French and American oak for 18 months, with full malolactic fermentation, but the acidity and light flavors veer away from California to France.

Cuvaison 2019 Syrah Diablo

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$70.00USD

The devil is in the details and with Cuviason’s Diablo Syrah, the details are key to an exceptional wine. Syrah often is mis-treated and most Syrahs on the market are fairly benign. But winemaker Steve Rogstad coaxes much out of these 21-year-old vines grown is less than optimal soils. A smooth viscosity leads to plum, huckleberry, black cherry, red currant, and light pomegranate notes, with back notes of young tobacco leaf and new leather. This is not a timid wine, but a sensuous one that is definitely meant to work with food, as it’s a little heavier on the alcohol.

Cuvaison 2019 Merlot Arcilla

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A+
Current Price: 
$70.00USD

Though Cuvaison is best known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, they have an impressive overall portfolio of wine that often doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Case in point, their 2019 Merlot is nothing short of outstanding. This is a medium bodied wine that drinks like a full-bodied wine with lots of swagger. Black cherry notes dominate along with plum, blackberry, light blueberry, cocoa powder and fresh sawed cedar wood. This is 100% Merlot and shows that with excellent fruit, you can make a Merlot that doesn’t need the addition of other grapes to make it better.

2018 Raymond Vineyard & Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Selection, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$40.00USD

From a 375ML.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, sandalwood, and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, nice cassis flavors.  Not too ripe but nothing green.  Depth.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now and should drink well for another seven to ten years.  It drinks well on its own and would be a nice wine with a burger.  

2017 Realm Cellars The Tempest, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2017
Score: 
95
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$115.00USD

This is a blend of 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black cherries, chocolate, slight blueberries and spice.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is deep, complex and layered as it unwinds in the glass.  Great texture.  Flavors of black cherries and chocolate with a bit of char and spice.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is young but drinking well.  Drink over the next fifteen to twenty years.  Great on its own, this will work with foods.  Roasted chicken would be a nice matc

2018 Hayfork Cabernet Sauvignon Lewelling Ranch, USA, California, Napa, St. Helena, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2018
Score: 
93
Grade: 
A
Current Price: 
$125.00USD

This is is 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petite Verdot.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is great with cassis, pencil lead, cedar and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Firm tannins.  On the palate, this is a big but not over sized Cab.  Lots of cassis with some char and minerality.  Drinking well now but may still improve a bit.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this would be a classic pairing with a roast or steak.  

2019 Double Diamond (Schrader) Cabernet Sauvignon, USA, California, Napa, Wine Review

Vintage: 
2019
Score: 
90
Grade: 
A-
Current Price: 
$120.00USD

Of course, this is the "It" wine right now as it was just named the Wine Spectator Wine of the Year.  It proved to be love or hate at a recent tasting with many rating it as their favorite and a few putting it closer to the bottom.  Of course, even the later voters thought it was a fine wine overall.  It also proved pretty easy to pick out blind as most or the group was able to.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has a strong cotton candy note (others said sweet tarts or "Smarties) along with some cassis.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palat

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